Summer Fun at the Mission State Park
During the summer, we host an array of FREE events for families and children.
Register for Junior Rangers here, volunteer for the Summer Archaeology Project, or scroll on down for the details of these programs and more!
Junior Rangers
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Junior Rangers is a statewide program for 7 to 12 year olds.
Play games, make art, hunt for treasure, craft objects using historical tools, and get to know California's past, all while making new friends!
At your first Junior Ranger program you will receive a logbook and badge. For each activity you will earn a stamp in your logbook. And that's not all; as you go through the program, one activity at a time, you will earn some very cool rewards! You can participate at the Santa Cruz Mission all summer long, or combine these with programs at different parks. Many of our programs offer STEAM concepts and skills. All of our programs are FREE, but registration in advance is requested
See our 2026 schedule below, and register via our Squarespace link. We run programs all summer on Thursdays, 11am-12:15pm.
Can't make our scheduled programs? You can fill out our Santa Cruz Mission SHP Junior Ranger Self-Guided Activity Booklet whenever you visit the park. You'll receive a logbook and stamp upon completion. Just ask for details at the visitor center.
Junior Ranger Schedule 2026
June 11
Call that Brand
We will go back in history to find out where our cowboy traditions originated. You can develop your own brand as a stamp!
June 18
Time Flies: Sundials
How did people think about time in California’s past? You’ll learn to read a solar clock and make your own sundial to take home!
June 25
Scavenger Hunt
Use your powers of observation to track down the “Close Up Clues” and learn how early Spanish uses of stone, earth, and plants changed the landscape of Native California.
July 2
Age of Sail: All Hands on Deck
Climb “aboard” and learn your way around an 18th century sailing vessel. Practice tossing the mooring lines, and make your own floating fender keyring to commemorate a successful voyage.
July 9
Mesoamerican Culture: Corn & Cocoa
Make and taste indigenous foods of precolonial Mexico. What connections do we notice from that culture to the Santa Cruz Mission? Or to our lives today?
July 16
Mesoamerican Culture: Wordpainters
Learn about language and storytelling in ancient cultures of today’s Mexico., and create your own codex book!
July 23
Indigenous Botany 30 x 30
Learn about traditional ecological knowledge and explore how Indigenous stewardship and California native plants have supported food, shelter, health, and community for generations.Start your own native seeds to take home .
July 30
Time Flies: Phases of the Moon
What is a waning gibbous and why are we seeing one right now? Come learn about the night sky’s calendar and create your own moon book!
August 6
Jump the Tiger! The game of FARO
In every movie about the old west the saloon doors swing, the piano music tinkles, and the cowboys in the back are playing poker … but were they? Sip a sarsaparilla and play the real game of Faro. Can you beat the bank?
S.A.P.
S.A.P. or the Summer Archaeology Project has been running at the Santa Cruz Mission for over a decade. Volunteers get training, hands-on experience, and enrichment lectures about archaeology-- the process, the discourse, and the occupation. Volunteers meet Mondays at the Santa Cruz Mission throughout the summer, and are expected to join for the duration of the program. For more information, check out our Volunteer Page!
Old Fashioned Campfires
Our Old Fashioned Campfires are for folks and families of all ages. Three Fridays in the summer, we invite the community to the park for an evening of tortilla making (masa and cooking fire provided-- you bring the toppings!) live music from local bands, and classic times around the campfire. Led by our teen team volunteers, come experience campfire songs, funny skits, and stories as the sun sets over Santa Cruz with the community. This is a free event, and no registration is required!
OLD FASHIONED CAMPFIRES 2026
Friday, June 26th
Featuring Musical Guest Chris Soriano
Friday, July 24th
Featuring Musical Guest "Ramblin' Rebels"
Friday, August 21st
Musical Guest TBA
5:30- 8:00 PM
BRING:
Picnic dinner
Lawn chairs or blankets to sit on
tortilla toppings to share
5:30 - 6:45
Dinner
Live music
Tortilla making on the comal
6:45 - 8:00
Storytelling and songs around the fire
